Welcome!

At the Water Isotopes, Climate and Karst (WICK) Lab we investigate hydroclimate variability from the surface to the subsurface in the present and past.

Our research is anchored in the disciplines of low-temperature traditional isotope and trace-element geochemistry, hydrology within karst landscapes, speleothem sciences, and terrestrial paleoclimatotolgy. We use cave deposits (stalagmites) to reconstruct hydroclimate variability in the past. We focus on understanding the climate dynamic processes driving changes in rainfall in response to external and internal forcings. Through this, we can investigate and separate responses to natural and human-caused climate change to better target future changes in rainfall. Our multi-proxy terrestrial paleoclimate reconstruction relies on site-specific monitoring of cave systems. Our cave monitoring efforts provide us with the key to unlock the geochemical signals encoded in the stalagmites.

The WICK Lab has research projects in the Philippines, India and southern California and is supported by funding from the National Science Foundatoin, WINGS Women of Discovery, National Cave and Karst Research Institute and Occidental College.